I had a lot of trouble with my melons this year. April planted cantaloupes and watermelons were infested with cucumber beetles and nearly wiped out. July planted cantaloupes were hit hard by aphids and harvester ants. I live in the desert Southwest. Melons generally do very well in this area. By the time I figured out how to handle these situations, the plants (all but one cantaloupe basin) were in pretty rough shape. Yields were low. My question is: Is it okay to prune away melon vines that form beyond or below the fruit? I didn't do this but I'm wondering if maybe I should have.
Hello, well, I am by no means a melon expert, having only grown them once--but I did have success that one time. I did prune them a couple of "joints" past the fruit. I also removes side vines as well. What you are proposing to do is commonly done with pumpkins, the goal being to get the biggest possible pumpkin. If you feel really brave, you could remove any smallish fruits that you think may not come to much anyway, so that the "energy" can be concentrated on the fruits that are doing well. I am sorry to hear about your bad luck with those melons this year. Did you plant any Marigolds in or around your melon patch?
Sjoerd, thanks for sharing your experience. I've grown melons before. I've never had poor year like this one. Usually melons are one of my most dependable crops. I direct sow them into well composted basins, keep them watered, and by the time the bugs start bothering the plants, I'm harvesting them. Since I posted my question, I heard on the news that we had the hottest summer since '93 and inadequate rains. The desert high temperatures started earlier than usual. So, that's probably why the earlier appearance of the cucumber beetles. So,if this happens again I'll go ahead and prune away excess vines.
Ahh, I see what you measn with the dryness. I recall the year that I had the melon vines, I tried to do evberything by the book, so to speak, so I was on my hands and knees giving water every day. My bride told me I was killing them with attention. hahahaha. I knew what she ment. I did all the things that was suggested and I found them work intensive that way. If I ever do melons again, I shall try a more 'normal' way--and just let them grow on their own. It sounds like you had prepared your ground perfectly--it must have been the dryness. I had proibs here with dryness this year as well. It sort of snuck up on me--and it wasn't only the crops that got burnt.
